It should be known that poetry was the archive of the
Arabs, containing their sciences, their history, and their wisdom.1604
Leading Arabs competed in it. They used to stop at the fair of 'Ukaz
1605to recite poetry. Each would submit his product for
criticism 1606to outstanding and intelligent personalities. Eventually,
(Arab poets) came to vie in having their poems hung up at the corners of
the Holy Sanctuary to which they made pilgrimage, the house of their
ancestor Ibrahim (the Ka'bah). This was done by Imru'u-l-Qays b. Hujr,
an-Nabighah adh-Dhubyani, Zuhayr b. Abi Sulma, 'Antarah b. Shaddad,
Tarafah b. al-'Abd, 'Alqamah b. 'Abadah, al-A'sha, and the other authors
of the nine Mu'allaqat:
1607Only a person who had enough power among
his people and his group ('asabIyah) and who held the proper
position among the Mudar, was able to get so far as to have his poem
hung up there. This (fact) is stated in connection with the reason why
such poems were called Mu'allaqat.1608

Then, at the beginning of Islam, the Arabs gave up the
(custom). They were occupied with the affairs of Islam, with prophecy
and revelation. They were awed by the (linguistic) method and form of
the Qur'an. They were (thus) silenced. For a time, they no longer
discussed poetry and prose. Then, those (great happenings) continued,
and right guidance came to be something familiar to the Muslims.
1609 There was no revelation (saying) that poetry was
forbidden or prohibited. The Prophet listened to poetry and rewarded
(the poet) for it. Under these circumstances, the Arabs returned to
their old customs with regard to poetry. 'Umar b. Abi Rabi'ah,
1610 the leading Qurashite of his
time, wrote poetry of a high rank and on a high level. He often
submitted his poetry to Ibn 'Abbas,
1611 who paused to listen to it
in admiration.

Then there came great royal authority and a mighty
dynasty. The Arabs approached the (caliphs) with their laudatory poems,
and the caliphs rewarded them most generously according to the quality
of the poems and their position among their people. They were eager to
have poems presented to them. From them they learned remarkable stories,
history, lexicography, and noble speech. The Arabs saw to it that their
children memorized the poems. This remained the situation during the
days of the Umayyads and in the early days of the 'Abbasid dynasty. One
may compare the report, by the author of the 'Iqd, about the
conversation of ar-Rashid with al-Asma'i, in the chapter on poetry and
poets.1612
It shows that ar-Rashid possessed a good knowledge of the subject and
was firmly grounded in it. He was concerned with the cultivation of
(poetry). He was able to discern good speech from bad speech, and he
possessed a wide memorized knowledge of (poetry)

Later on, people came whose language was not Arabic,
because they had a non-Arab (background) and a deficient knowledge of
the (Arabic) language, which they had learned as a craft. (Poets) did
write laudatory poems for the non­Arab amirs, who did not possess the
(Arabic) language, (but) they did so only in order to win their favor,
and not for any other reason. This was done, for instance, by Habib (Abu
Tammam), al-Buhturi, al-Mutanabbi, Ibn Hani,1613
and later (poets). Thus, the predominant purpose of producing poetry
came to be mere begging and asking for favors, because the particular
use that, as we have mentioned, the early (Arabs) had made of poetry no
longer existed. This is why people of ambition and rank among later
(Muslims) disdained poetry. The situation, thus, changed. Concern with
poetry came to be (considered) a blemish or fault in leaders and people
holding great positions.1614